The Lafayette Presbyterian Church, as it
is known today, originated as the First Free Congregational Church.

On 14 March 1832 twenty-one members of the First Presbyterian
Church, then on Main at Court Streets, left the congregation. They
desired to establish a church with a free seat plan, where members were
not obligated to pay pew rents. They began holding services in a rented
second floor room on Pearl Street without the benefit of a preacher. In
October, 1832 with thirty-five members, they began meeting in the court
house.

Court House Square (later named Lafayette
Square)

In June of 1833, the
congregation acquired a lot on the north side of Court House Square
(Lafayette Square) on the site currently occupied by the Rand Building.
After breaking ground on 4 July, they conducted their first service in
the building in December [church building #1, 1833-1845].

In 1839, they reorganized as the Park Church Society,
worshipping under that name until the early part of 1845 when
the church closed.

Grosvenor W. Heacock Era

On 8 June, 1845 Rev. Grosvenor
W. Heacock held a service in the Park Church, and with 150 people
attending, saw hope in reestablishing the congregation. At this time he
began a pastorship which would last for more than thirty years, until
his death on 6 May, 1877.

On 13 July, 1845 he reorganized the congregation once again as
the Park Church Society. They carried this name until the city
renamed the square on 1 December, 1879.

In August, 1878 it was suggested to rename the square Heacock
Park in honor of Grosvenor Heacock. After the council rejected that and
the subsequent proposal to call it Washington Park, they elected to
call it Lafayette Square in honor of the 1825 visit to the city
by the Marquis de Lafayette. During his visit here, he spoke form a
platform in front of the Eagle
Tavern across the square on Main Street between Court and Eagle.

The congregation prospered for the following five years. On 11 March, 1850
a fire in the American
Hotel spread to their building and destroyed it. With the walls
still standing, they were determined to rebuild. On 5 January, 1851
they conducted their first service in the rebuilt church.

By the early 1860s the congregation had outgrown their church and began
planning for a more spacious house of worship. On 13 April, 1861 they
purchased the adjoining lot fronting Washington Street from
Mrs. Phoebe Smith and began an ambitious building campaign. In 1863,
they began worshipping in the new $25,000 building. Their stay there
was short lived as by 1894, their number could no longer be comfortably
accommodated. At this time, they began planning for the construction of
the current building, deciding to relocate in the northern part of the
city to keep pace with the residential development there.

Elmwood and Lafayette

On 8 November, 1894, amid the
pastures and farm lands of the northern section of the city, the
congregation broke ground for their new house of worship. With the
completion of the new building, they moved from Lafayette Square. At
that time, the street in front of their new church was known as Bouck
Street. The church requested that the city rename the street
Lafayette in honor of the congregation. In doing so, it became one of
the few churches in the world to have a street named after it.

Lafayette Theater

At the time of their move, the
congregation arranged to have their former building sold for conversion
to a theater. As they felt it would be improper to sell church property
for theatrical purposes, an arrangement was made with Nathaniel W.
Norton, President of the Board of Trustees, and his brother Herbert,
whereby title to the property would be passed on to them. They would in
turn sell the property, remitting the proceeds back to the church.

In doing so, the Nortons, without the knowledge of the congregation,
added $52,000 onto the asking price for the property. When the sale
passed, the price became a matter of public record and the congregation
learned of the discrepancy. The church proceeded to sue the Nortons to
recover the difference, winning the case in November, 1908.